This important new history of the development of a leadership corps of officers during World War I opens with a gripping narrative of the battlefield heroism of Cpl. Alvin York, juxtaposed with the death of Pvt. Charles Clement less than two kilometers away.
Clement had been a captain and an example of what a good officer should be in the years just before the beginning of the war. His subsequent failure as an officer and his redemption through death in combat embody the question that lies at the heart of this comprehensive and exhaustively researched book: What were the faults of US military policy regarding the training of officers during the Great War?
In The School of Hard Knocks, Richard S. Faulkner carefully considers the selection and training process for officers during the years prior to and throughout the First World War. He then moves into the replacement of those officers due to attrition, ultimately discussing the relationship between the leadership corps and the men they commanded.
Replete with primary documentary evidence including reports by the War Department during and subsequent to the war, letters from the officers detailing their concerns with the training methods, and communiqués from the leaders of the training facilities to the civilian leadership, The School of Hard Knocks makes a compelling case while presenting a clear, highly readable, no-nonsense account of the shortfalls in officer training that contributed to the high death toll suffered by the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.
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RICHARD S. (SHAWN) FAULKNER retired from the US Army with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is an associate professor of military history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
"There may never be another 'Great War.' but when the next big one comes along, and it will, important insights from Faulkner's superb book will help the United States adjust to its unexpected horrific demands."--Robert A. Doughty, author, Seeds of Disaster, The Breaking Point, and Pyrrhic Victory
(Robert A. Doughty Author of: Seeds of Disaster, The Breaking Point, Pyrrhic Victory 2011-10-20)
"Military history is filled with studies of generals, but we still know too little about the officers who executed their plans. This book fills an important gap in our understanding of the roles and behaviors of junior officers in the American Army in World War I."--Michael S. Neiberg, author, Fighting the Great War: A Global History
(Michael S. Neiberg Author of Fighting the Great War: A Global History 2011-11-09)"Faulkner comprehensively, sensitively, and brilliantly presents the challenges and the dynamics of developing effective junior-officer combat leadership in the AEF. This is a must-read for any student of the Great War and the American military experience."--Dennis Showalter, Professor of History, Colorado College
(Dennis Showalter author of Hitler’s Panzers: The Lightning Attacks that Revolutionized Warfare 2011-11-28)"American casualties during the First World War were appalling. By the armistice of November 11, 1918, more than 53,000 doughboys died on the battlefields of the Western Front. Richard S. Faulkner makes a convincing case in this well-researched and well-written book that poorly trained and inexperienced officers were largely responsible for the carnage. His argument is supported by a wide range of primary and secondary sources. In The School of Hard Knocks is a fine addition to the growing literature on the American combat experience during World War I and deserves a wide audience."--Mitchell Yockelson, Author, Borrowed Soldiers under British Commands, 1918
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